Just Say No! A Profile Of Cocaine And Its Effects On Two...

Just Say No! A Profile Of Cocaine and Its Effects On Two Lives nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Greek mythology tells of a young god, Morpheus, god of dreams. Morpheus planted a special purple flower called the lotus. Soon the people of the land smelled the sweet flowers and ate them. They immediately feel into a deep and troubled sleep. From that day on, they awoke only long enough to gather the lotus flowers and sleep again. Eventually they lost their strength and willpower and wanted only to drift in and out of sleep.1 The story of the lotus-eaters and similar tales from ancient times show us that drug use is not new. Today this problem threatens all of our society. The worst, most deadly of drugs, however, is cocaine. This†¦show more content†¦Because the brain tells the heart how fast and often to beat, using cocaine can make the heart pump so fast that it damages the muscles or can lead to a heart attack. Since the brain also tells the lungs how often and how deep to breath, the use of cocaine can cause those signals to get mixed up leadi ng to a shortness of breath or the complete failure of the lungs to work causing instant death. The use of cocaine is seriously addicting. Monkeys will keep giving themselves doses of cocaine until they die; most people will follow the same trend.3 nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The world of sports has many sad examples of people who made the poor choice to use drugs. Perhaps the saddest is that of Lenny Bias. Len Bias was a star on the basketball court. He was in perfect health. Len played basketball for the University of Maryland. Some people thought he would be the best basketball player ever. Then one day his dreams came true. He was drafted no. 1 by the Boston Celtics to play professional basketball. quot;He could jump through the roof,quot; said Red Auerbach, president of the Celtics4. Len was so happy that he went out to celebrate. He snorted cocaine, probably for the first time. That would be his last time--cocaine stopped his heart and he died instantly. Dr. Louis Caplan, New England Medical Center Hospitals, says that using cocaine is like taking a chance on sudden death: quot;Cocaines a loaded gun.quot;5 Len BiasShow MoreRelated Three Strike Laws Essay1731 Words   |  7 PagesThree Strike Laws Mandatory minimums and three strike laws, are they really the answer to the crime problem America has faced for years? Many would say yes, including me, as long as it is for a violent crime such as murder, rape or arson; some feel that even theft, drug trafficking or possession, and burglary are all worthy of the 25-to-life sentence that can be carried under the mandatory minimums for three strike laws. A three-strike law is a law that states that you will be sentencedRead More Legalization of Drugs Fails to Resolve Social Problems Essay1125 Words   |  5 Pageslegalized? nbsp;We already have a case study to determine whether drug legalization policies will be successful. Americas struggles with alcohol provide a ready-made experiment in which the pros and cons of drug legalization can be measured in terms of lives affected and dollars spent. nbsp; In the early portion of the 20th century, our government responded to the demands of various temperance groups and prohibited the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages. At about the same time, organizedRead MoreThe Community Of Jamaic A Middle Class Area1723 Words   |  7 Pagesafter the price of houses fell many Hispanics and West Indian immigrants started moving into Jamaica. A population so heavily populated with Blacks and other minority races have led may people to categorize the neighborhood of Jamaica has a bad area to live in. Many whites avoid moving into this neighborhood and are more likely to leave than to move in and a conclusion that can be drawn from this would be that whites are afraid of living among Blacks and other minority groups because if certain stigmatismsRead MoreSleep1333 Words   |  6 PagesDrug Abuse Profile). Most narcotics, such as heroin, are developed from a beautiful, one to two feet, five to six leaf plant called the Papaver somniferum, k nown as the â€Å"Poppy plant† (poppies.org). The Poppy plant’s main purpose was medicine; use to help humans relieve their pain and suffering (Plants cultures- western medicine).   In the United States, narcotics is a word often used incorrectly to describe any illegal drug, such as, heroin, morphine, Codeine, Oxycodone, Vicodin, cocaine, and marijuanaRead MoreDrugs in the Music Industry1199 Words   |  5 Pagesevery day, and music industry isn t immune. In fact, music is one of the most influential art forms of today s society, and drugs, especially to today s youth, just add to the attractiveness of it all. In the last two or three years, drugs, especially heroin, have risen in use dramatically. Kurt Cobain was the most high-profile drug-related rock star since the 1970 s and was still battling heroin addiction when he committed suicide in 1994. Along with him, his wife Courtney Love made itRead MoreThe Connection Between Crime And Class1727 Words   |  7 PagesThis essay will reflect the connection between crime and class. It will look at a high profile case within Australia that occurred during 2014 and it will also look at how the media has portrayed this case. Not only will this essay look at high profile cases it will also look at cases from Western Sydney and discuss the differences in charges given to people with class and those without. Finally it will look at statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) crime figures for a numberRead More The Effects of Coca Eradication in Colombia Essay4174 Words   |  17 PagesThe Effects of Coca Eradication in Colombia A farmer wipes his brow under the hot sun. He started on his crops early in the morning, most likely before sunrise and will most likely work until the sun goes down. He is working for his family, to support them, to provide food and shelter for his wife and two sons, even for other families. Yet the pressures of working to support a family are only a fraction of the strain put upon this farmer. The life of this farmer and others like him in ColombiaRead More`` The House I Live ``1921 Words   |  8 Pagesever. Historically, certain drugs that are illegal today were commonly used in America. In the 1800s, drug addiction was looked at as a public health issue, whereas today it’s treated like a violent crime (The House I Live In). Eugene Jarecki, author and director of â€Å"The House I Live In†, argues that the War on Drugs is not only ineffective, but instead of treating drug addiction, it has increased drug abuse. This eventually, triggered the government to creat e a law enforcement that feeds mainly onRead MoreProblems Encountered by Police Officers7666 Words   |  31 Pagessignificant relationship of the students profile and the level of awareness. Specifically, it sougth answers to the following questions: What is the profile of the respondents in the terms of: age, sex, educational background of parents; employment of the parent; and media exposure? Secondly, What is the level if in drug education among BS. Criminology of BSU-JPLPC students in terms of: Commonly abuse; effects on health; effects on community/society; effects on family/ school; and drug prevention programRead MoreCritical Incident Analysis Essay4177 Words   |  17 Pages My statutory observation placement is at a clinic for substance misuse, mainly being heroin, crack cocaine and alcohol. During one of my days there I was given the opportunity to shadow one of the clinics general practitioners for the day. The general practitioners main role is to work alongside the service user in order to help the break the cycle of drug or alcohol dependency and also to live a healthier lifestyle and offer them a better standard of living. The general practitioner meets with